MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee County Courthouse will close early Wednesday ahead of an expected announcement regarding whether suspended Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah will be charged in the fatal shooting of Alvin Cole earlier this year.
A message posted on the courthouse's website said the courthouse, Safety Building, and Criminal Justice Facility will each be closing to public access at 2 p.m.
Wauwatosa's City Hall also closed early Wednesday, and its school district has made the decision to move all students to virtual learning for the remainder of the week.
Mensah shot and killed Cole on Feb. 2 outside of Mayfair Mall. Police said the 17-year-old had fired at officers first before being shot. A report from an independent investigator found, however, that "Cole did not fire at Officer Mensah or any other officer. Cole shot himself in the arm while running away from the officers.”
The fatal shooting was Mensah's third in the past five years; the two previous shootings have been ruled justified.
Mensah shot and killed Antonio Gonzales in 2015 and Jay Anderson Jr. in 2016.
Mensah was suspended with pay from the Wauwatosa Police Department pending the investigation.
Law enforcement officials said they would be prepared if any unrest occurs in the wake of the decision.
